"Huh? Dr. Primitive?"
Inside Herta's Office, Herta was continuously adjusting various parameters within the Simulated Universe, making meticulous preparations for the upcoming audience with the Aeon.
Meanwhile, Lumina—completely useless and more likely to hinder than help—lay sprawled on the office sofa, scrolling through her phone.
Since Herta already knew her true personality, Lumina had long since abandoned any pretense. The Saintess's holy image had vanished completely, replaced by the aura of a Fallen Saintess. She lounged on the sofa without a care for her appearance, radiating an air of utter apathy. Cradling her phone, she would occasionally let out a small laugh, lost in whatever she was doing.
The two maintained this state for some time, each absorbed in their own tasks, the silence unbroken.
The quiet finally ended when Lumina, seemingly having stumbled upon something interesting, let out a soft, surprised hum.
"Genius Society Member #64: Dr. Primitive. Did you find something about him?" Herta paused her work. While she usually ignored Lumina's idle noises, the mention of a fellow Genius Society member piqued her curiosity.
"Not exactly." Lumina didn't look up at Herta's question. She remained sprawled on the sofa, her gaze fixed on her phone screen as her small fingers tapped away.
"Some of Dr. Primitive's Atavism Experiment subjects have surfaced in Penacony."
"As for whether Dr. Primitive himself is there, I have no idea."
"This is something March and the others encountered during their time in Penacony."
Lumina explained to Herta while simultaneously typing a comforting message to March 7th on her phone. As an adult, multitasking was second nature to her.
"Atavism Experiment subjects?" Herta lowered her head, falling silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Sensing Herta's mood, Lumina sat up, then shifted into a new position, lying on her stomach on the sofa. She kicked her small legs in the air, swinging them back and forth, and asked Herta with a playful smile, "What's this? Is the great Madam Herta interested in Dr. Primitive's Atavism Experiment subjects?"
"Hmph." Herta turned and shot Lumina a sharp glance.
But that glance was enough to make Herta's heart skip a beat.
The sight of Lumina lying on the sofa, playfully swinging her legs in the air, sent a strange, restless stirring through Madam Herta.
Fortunately, as an Emanator of Erudition, Madam Herta's willpower was second to none. Though momentarily captivated by Lumina's current appearance, she remained outwardly unfazed, betraying no unusual emotions.
Crossing her arms, she said to Lumina, "You overestimate Dr. Primitive, and you underestimate Madam Herta."
"They're merely subjects of some Atavism Experiment. What makes you think they're worthy of my attention?"
"Even if Dr. Primitive himself stood before me, I wouldn't have the slightest interest in him."
"Oh? Weren't you looking for partners for the Simulated Universe? I thought Dr. Primitive would be a candidate," Lumina asked with a smile, holding her phone in one hand and propping her chin with the other.
"Heh. I have no desire for the Simulated Universe or Madam Herta's name to become infamous," Herta said, waving her hand dismissively to show her complete lack of interest in Dr. Primitive.
Before, before Lumina joined the Simulated Universe, Herta had been interested in Dr. Primitive and wouldn't have cared about his infamous reputation.
But now, with Lumina around, Madam Herta had no desire to let some unpleasant element join and taint the environment of the Simulated Universe Project Team...
Putting those thoughts aside, Herta turned her gaze to Lumina and said, "What about you? If Dr. Primitive's main body were a beautiful girl, would you be interested in her?"
Lumina: ?
Hearing this, a massive question mark materialized above Lumina's small head and wide eyes.
My dear Madam Herta, are you even listening to yourself? Is that something a sane person would say?
I recognize every word, but when you put them together, they make no sense!
"If Dr. Primitive's main body were a beautiful girl, would I be interested in her?"
Forget the second half of that sentence—just the first half is enough to make my eyes burn!
And you, Madam Herta, managed to say it all without batting an eye? Lumina was genuinely impressed.
Setting aside any sisterly rivalry for a moment, on this point alone, Lumina would willingly call Herta "Big Sis"...
Not thinking further, Lumina lowered her gaze to Herta, her face the very picture of speechlessness. "Herta," she said, "did you fry your brain controlling the Simulated Universe Device?"
If Lumina hadn't already confirmed that Herta's soul was perfectly fine, she would have suspected Herta had been possessed.
"I'm asking seriously, not joking," Herta huffed, insisting her question was genuine. "I just want to know how you'd treat this 'beautiful girl' who has committed such heinous crimes."
"I'm curious," she continued. "You, who can't walk straight at the sight of a beautiful girl—would you absolve her of all her crimes just because of her looks?"
Herta knew Lumina's personality well, which was precisely why she was genuinely curious about the answer.
Of course, Lumina's response wouldn't change Herta's feelings, perceptions, or any aspect of their relationship. Herta was simply curious, nothing more.
"Just what do you take me for?"
Hearing Herta's question and seeing the curiosity on her face, Lumina paused to think. It didn't take long for her to figure out Herta's true motive. With a completely exasperated look, she said, "You really didn't need to use Dr. Primitive as an example."
"You could have just asked how I'd react to a beautiful girl who's committed countless crimes."
Lumina sighed, slightly annoyed. If you want an answer, just ask for it. Why bring Dr. Primitive into this?
In Lumina's mind, Dr. Primitive was a white-haired old man. She couldn't possibly connect a figure like that with a beautiful girl.
The thought alone was unthinkable.
When Herta had first posed the question, Lumina's mind had frantically cycled through images of March 7th, Robin, Herta, and Ruan Mei, as if trying to purge the mental contamination...
"So, what's your choice?" Herta asked, unfazed. She crossed her arms, still eager to hear what Lumina would say.
"Hmm... I suppose I'd act like a saintess," Lumina said, lowering her head in thought. "First, I'd make her confront her past sins, and then ensure she accepts the punishment she deserves."
She had encountered many beautiful girls burdened by sin, and she'd never been overly concerned about them.
After all, every galaxy and planet she'd saved had been ravaged by war, natural disasters, and human-made calamities. Sin was commonplace; she couldn't condemn everyone with a single stroke.
They were all just trying to survive, fighting to live another day, hoping for a better tomorrow.
Lumina would always offer them a few words of encouragement, a small boost to their spirits.
But a beautiful girl as steeped in sin as Dr. Primitive? In all her Amber Eras, Lumina had never encountered such a case.
Well... it's only natural that I haven't.
Who was Dr. Primitive? Member #64 of the Genius Society, an Emanator of Erudition. Within the known cosmos, no beautiful girl had ever committed crimes that surpassed—or even equaled—his.
So, Lumina truly found it difficult to make a judgment.
But it was true that she wouldn't immediately crush the girl for the good of the cosmos just because of her looks.
And it was also true that she would make her confront her past sins and then turn herself in.
Lumina never actively sought out things that didn't interest her. So, if that beautiful girl who had committed heinous crimes happened to run into her, it would be like winning the lottery.
If the girl turned herself in, everything would be fine. Lumina wouldn't say much—just take a commemorative photo with her phone, escort her to surrender, and be done with it.
But if she refused to surrender and even dared to be insolent, Lumina would first teach her a harsh lesson. She'd beat her into submission, seal all her powers, and then hand her over to the authorities.
It was that simple.
While she did have a double standard for beautiful criminals, it wasn't a huge one. They still had to face the punishment they deserved.
The only difference was that the executioner would be the Interastral Peace Corporation instead of her. The final outcome remained unchanged.
"Oh? Really? You'd actually be that harsh with a beautiful girl?" Herta sounded surprised by Lumina's answer.
After all, for someone with such grave sins, turning themselves in meant either immediate execution or lifelong slavery to the Interastral Peace Corporation. The outcome was practically the same as being casually crushed by some benevolent powerhouse passing by who decided to eliminate a public menace.
"What else? Did you really think I only care about looks?" Lumina huffed lightly as she lounged on the sofa, her gaze returning to her phone screen.
"Besides, I don't lay a hand on beautiful girls. I just make them turn themselves in. I never get physical with them."
"And my definition of a 'beautiful girl' isn't just about appearance," Lumina added, feeling the need to correct Herta's serious misunderstanding.
"Oh? What else is there?" Herta raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
Lumina's judgment of beautiful girls isn't solely based on looks?
If that was true, Herta would have to revise her opinion of Lumina.
Hmm... for the better, of course.
No matter what Lumina liked, Herta found it hard to muster any real dislike for her.
The dislike she usually wore on her face, the surface-level annoyance—it was all just a "performance" to keep Lumina from getting too arrogant.
She didn't truly dislike Lumina.
"Besides looks, it's what's inside, of course—the soul," Lumina said, finally pausing her phone scrolling. She set it down, rested her chin on her crossed arms, and fixed her gaze on Herta. "Even if someone is breathtakingly beautiful on the outside, if their heart is corrupt and ugly, they're an ugly person."
"Conversely, if someone has an ordinary appearance but a pure and beautiful heart, they are naturally a beautiful person."
"So, by my standards, if both her appearance and her soul are beautiful enough to qualify as a 'beautiful girl,' then she's a beautiful girl in my eyes."
"Like you, Herta. You're a perfect beautiful girl."
Lumina rested her cheek on her arms and gave Herta a playful wink. Herta's heart skipped a beat, and she nearly lost control, struggling to suppress a few... terrible thoughts.
Hoo... She took a deep breath, forcing the thoughts down for now.
Recalling Lumina's words, Herta couldn't help but feel curious. "If someone's appearance was beautiful enough to be number one in the universe, but their soul was utterly corrupt and ugly, would she still be a 'beautiful girl' in your eyes?"
"Number one in the universe? What kind of beauty is that? Like you, Madam Herta?" Lumina replied with a smile, looking Herta up and down instead of answering the question directly.
"Er..." Herta was momentarily speechless. But anyone could see she was clearly a little pleased inside.
"Ahem, not like me. Like you," Herta coughed a few times. Though she was thrilled by Lumina calling her "number one in the universe," she would never admit it aloud.
After a mere 0.001 seconds of thought, she effortlessly deflected the attention back to Lumina, returning the compliment in the process.
"Oh my, Madam Herta thinks my beauty is number one in the universe! I'm so thrilled~"
"Thank you, Madam Herta."
Hearing Herta's words, a sly glint flickered in Lumina's jade-green eyes, as if Herta had just walked right into a trap she'd set.
"You..." Seeing Lumina's undisguised expression, Herta instantly realized she'd been played.
But she didn't dwell on it. If I've been tricked, so be it. It's just a minor thing.
Shaking her head, Herta returned to her original question. "Alright, just answer. What would you do?"
"Hmm... If that beautiful girl looked like me, I suppose I'd spend my entire life trying to purify her corrupted soul," Lumina answered immediately, without much thought.
After all, it was just idle talk, so she naturally chose the most virtuous-sounding response.
Since something like that could never actually happen, any answer I give is technically correct...